Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-22


perance societies. Not prohibition laws.
Not moral sussicn. Conversion aid it.
"Why," said one upon whom the CREST
change had come, "Sir, l feel asst IS
though I-were somebody else"
There IS 9 sea captain who sTOre ell
tue way from New York to Havana, and
from Havana to San Francisco, and when
ne was in port be WAS worse than when
be was on the sea. What power was it
that washed his tongue clean OF profan-
Ties, ana made him psalm singer? Con
version by the Holy Spirit. There are
thousands OF people in this house to
night VINO are no more what they once
were than a water-lily is nightshate, or 3
morning LARK is vulture, or day is night.
Now, if I should demand that ell those
people in this house who have felt the
converting power Of religion should rise,
so far from being ashamed, they would
spring TO their feet with more al&crity
than they ever sprang to the dance, the
tears mingling with their eXhileratiOn SIS
they cried: owe ere witnesses" And
if they tried to sing the old gospel hymn
they would break down with emotion by
the time they got TO the second line:
Ashamed of Jcsus, that dear friend
'tD W nom ulF HUttS Oh UtSNt utlDtNG
No, When / blush be this my shame;
That no more revere His name.
Again, remark that Hwe are wit
nesseS" Of the gospels power TO com
tort.
When a nan he's trouble the world
comes in and says: "NoW get your
mind eff this; 60 ont and breathe the
fresh air; plunge deeper into business. F."
What poor advice, Get your mind off of
il, when everything is upturned with the
bereavement, and everything reminds
you OF what you have lost. Get your
mind eff OF it, They might as
well advise you 10 stop think
ing. You can not stop thinking, and
you cannot stop thinking ia that uirec-
ton. Take q walk in the fresh air,
Why along that very street, or that very
road she once accompanied you. out CT
that grass plot she pluCked flowers, or
into that show window she looked, fSs-
cinated, saying: "Come see the pic
tures.n Go deeper into business Why,
she was associated with all your business
ambition, and since she has gone you
have no ambition left.
"Oh, this is clumsy world when ii
tries 70 comfort a broken heart l can
build a C0rIisS engine, l can pant 9
RsphaeI's Madonna" ! can play a
Beethoyen's symphony" as easily as
this world can comfort q broken heart.
And yet you have been comforted How
was it done: Did Christ come 10 YOU
and say: "Get your mind Of this; 20
out and breathe the fresh air; plunge
deeper into business" No. There was
minute when lie came to y0u-perhaps
| in
THE WATCHES or THE NIGHT,
perhaps il your place OF business, per
maps along the street-Gnd He breathed
something into your soul that gayep peace,
rest, indGite quiet, 50 that you could
take out the Photograph OF the departed
one and look into the eyes and the face
Of the dear one, and say: 'It is al
right; she IS better of; | would not cal
her back. Lord, thank Thee that Thou
hast c0mforted my poor heart"
/ There are Christian parents here who
are willing to testify to the power of this
/ Gospel TO comfort. Your son had lust
graduated from school or colie5e and was
gong into business, aud the Lord took
! MIN. Or your daughter had just grad
uated from the young ladies' seminary
/ and you thought she was going 10 be s
useful woman and OF long life; but the
/ Lord took her, and you were tempted tC
say: Gan this culture OF twenty years fol
nothing" Or the little child came home
/ from school with The hot fever that stop
! ped not for the agOniz8d prayer or for the
| skillful physician, and the little child Yves
| taken Or the babe was lifted cut of your
armS by some quick epidemic, and you
stood wondering why God ever gave you
| that child at al, If so soon He was 10
take it aweY. And yet you are not repin-
! ing, you sre not frettUl, you are not ight.
| ing against God.
WHAT has enabled you 10 stand all the
trial? "Ob," you say, 81 took the medi-
cine that God gave my sick soul
! N my distress threw myself al
/ she feet of q sympathjzing God and wher
! was too weak to pray, or to look up, He
! breathed into me 8 peace that | think
must be the foretaste OF that heaven where
! there is neither tear, nor farewell, noI
3 grave" Come, sIl We VINO have beer
out TO the grave to weep there-C0me, al
! We comforted souls, get up off your knees
| Is there no power in this gospel to sOotht
! the heart? Is there no power in this re
! ligiOn 10 quiet the worst par0xysm OF
! grief? There comes up an answer from
comtorted widowhood, and orphanage
end chhdlessness, saying: AYE, aye, we
are wltnesses."
AgsiH, remark that we are witnesses
OF the fact that religion hss power to give
CompOsure in the last moment. | shsl
never forget the first time confronted
death. We went across the cornfelds il
the country. l was led by my fathers
hand and we came to the farmhouse where
the bereavement had come, and we saw
! the crowd of wagons and carriages; but
there wGs one carriage that especially at.
tracted my boyish attention, and it had
BLACK PLUMES.
l said: "What's that? What's that:
Why those black tassels at the top?'' anC
after it was explained to me l was lifted
up to look upon the face of an aget
Christian woman, who had three days be
fore departed in triumph. The whole
scene made an impression | never forgot
In our sermons and in our lay eXhorta
tons we are very apt when we want TO
bring illustrations of dying triumph to &c
back to some distinguished personage-tc
q John Knox or Harriet Newell. But
want you'fOr witnesses.
l want to know If you have ever seer
anything to make you believe that the re
l.rA-